Dust-proof journal-box lid.



Patented lun I7 |902.

No. 702,90l.

G.. A. woonMAN; DUST FBO'DF JOURNAL BOX LID.

(Application led Dec. 20, 1901..)

(llo Model.) v

mi Dams PETERS co, PNoToLljn-w., msumo'r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TO KIRBY LUMBER COMPANY,

A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DUST-PROOF JOURNAL-BOX LID.

SPECIFIGATEON forming part of Letters Patent No. 702,901, dated. June17, 1902.

Application filed December 20, 1901. Serial No. 86,680. (No model.)

To LZ/f whom t may concern: v

Beit known that I, GEORGE A. VOODMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Dust-Proof Journal-BoxLids, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to novel improvements in lids for journal-boxes;and its obro ject is to providea lid of simple construction which willeffectually prevent the entrance of dust and dirt to the box.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of theinvention, in

whioh- Figure l is a central sectional view of my improved lid appliedto a journal-box and in closed and locked position. Fig. 2 is a planview of the under side of the lid. Fig. 3 is zo a plan view of the outerside of the lid.

In the drawings like numerals of reference designate corresponding partsin the several figures, and referring thereto- 10 is a journal-box, and1l is the usual pintle on which my improved lid l2 is pivotally mounted,the upper part of the lid being provided with the usual knuckles 13 toreceive the pintle.

I-Ieretofore it has been customary to provide 3o a hood or housing onthe lid to accommodate and protect the upper end of a spring which bearsagainst ashoulder adjacent to the pintle, and this hood or housing hasbeen entirely open on the under side-of the lid, so

that dust and dirt could enter the box through the opening between thehood and the top of the pintle or shoulder. It is my object to overcomethis defect, and I provide alid which entirely covers and closes theopening in the 4o box and has on the outside thereof a hood 14.

to inclose and protect the upper end of a leafspring 15, which bearsagainst the shoulder 16. The hood forms with the upper part 17 of thelid a chamber 18 for the upper part of the spring, and the lid isprovided with an opening 19 at the bottom of this chamber through whichthe spring passes. At or about the middle of the lid and on the underside thereof is a lug 20, provided with an inclined 5o opening 2l,through which the spring passes,

and is fastened by a rivet 22 or other suitable means. This constructionenables me to employ a straight flat spring, which is secured in the lug2O and passes up through the opening 19 in the lid into the chamber 18and bears against the shoulder in the usual Inanner, and as the springfits snugly in the opening i9 the lid when closed will form a completeand effective closure for the opening in the box and prevent theentrance of foreign matter therein.- -Thisis accomplished, as will bereadily understood, by making the lid to entirely cover the opening inthe box and providingit with a slot-opening l9,through which the springpasses into the chamber formed by the hood on the outside of the lid.

As a further means for preventing the entrance of dirt to thejournal-box I provide a rib 23 onv the sides and top of the box, whichis arranged to enter a groove 24, formed on the under side of the lid ina suitable manner, as by the parallel anges 25. The rib may also beformed on the lower edge of the openingin the box and the groovecorrespondingly continued at the lower part of the lid; but I prefer toemploy a locking device at the bottom of the lid, which may beconstructed as illustrated in the drawings and comprising alocking-plate 26, carried by pins or rivets 27, extending through andoperating in slots 2S in the lid, this plate beingprovided with a lip29, which engages the inner side of the lower wall 30 of the opening inthe box. A lift-piece 8l is also carried by the pins on the outer sideof the lid, so that the locking-plate may be readily liftedfrompengagement with the lower wall of the box-opening to open the lid.Vhen the lid is closed, the lower wall of the box-opening will be heldbetween the lip 29 and the lower part of the lid, whereby the lid islocked in closed position and the entrance of foreign matter entirelyprevented.

I am aware that my improved dust-proof lid may be used without thelocking device or with a locking device of other construction; but itwill be observed that I employ the spring, which has heretofore beenused to hold the lid shut, for the additional purpose of bearing on theplate 26 to force the same into locking engagement with the lower Wallof the box-opening, the lower end 32 of this IOO spring being preferablybent and operating in engagement with the rounded shoulder 33 on theplate.

To open the lid, the lift-piece is lifted to overcome the tension of thespring and withdraw the locking-plate from engagement with the lowerwall of the box-opening, and then sncient force is used to overcome thetension of the upper end of the spring to swing the lid open on itspivot. The lid is shut without manipulating the locking device, as thelip 29 is rounded to slide over the rounded face of the lower wall ofthe box-opening, and the spring immediately forces the plate intolocking engagement with said wall.

I prefer to use the hood, as shown in the drawings and heretoforedescribed, in order to protect the spring; but it is apparent that thishood may be omitted without danger of dirt entering the box or of thelubricant `flying out of the box, as the lid entirely covers thebox-opening and as the spring fills the opening in the lid through whichit passes.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desiretosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination witha journal-box provided with an opening in thefront thereof and a shoulder above the said opening, of a lid consistingof a plate for entirely covering the opening in the box, and a springfastened on the inner side of the lid and passing through a slot in theplate and bearing against said shoulder, substantially as described.

2. The combination with ajournal-box provided with an opening in thefront thereof and a shoulder above said opening, of a lid consistingof'a plate for entirely covering the opening in the box, a lockingdevice on the lid, and a fiat spring fastened to the lid and passingthrough an opening therein and having its lower end in operativeengagement with the locking device on the under side of the lid and itsupper end bearing against said shoulder, substantially as described.

3. A lid for journal-boxes consisting of a plate for entirely coveringthe opening in the box, a hood on the outer side of the plate forming achamber between itself and the plate, and a spring fastened to the plateand passing through an opening therein into the chamber, substantiallyas described.

4. A lid for journal-boxes consisting of a plate for entirely coveringthe opening in the box, a lug on the under side of the plate providedWith an inclined opening, and a spring secured in said opening andpassing through an opening in the plate, substantially as described.

5. A lid for journal-boxes consisting of a plate for entirely coveringthe opening in the box, a hood on the outer side of the plate forming achamber between itself and the plate, a lug on the under side of theplate provided with an inclined opening, and a spring secured in saidopening and passing through an opening in the plate into said chamber,substantially as described.

6. The combination with a journal-box provided with an opening in thefront thereof and a shoulder above said opening, of a lid provided withan opening in that part thereof which covers the opening in the box, aflat spring passing through said opening in the lid and bearing againstsaid shoulder, said lid comprising an upper portion 17 beneath thespring, substantially as and for the pury pose described.

7. The combination with a journal-box lid having parallel slots therein,of a lockingplate on the under side of the lid, a lift-piece on theouter side of the lid, and pins adjacent to the ends of said liftpiece,and passing through the slots in the lid and connecting thelocking-plate and lift-piece, said lockingplate being guided in itsmovement by the pins traveling in said slots, substantially asdescribed.

S. The combination of a journal-box provided with an opening therein, arib at the side and top edges of the opening in the box, a lid pivotallymounted on the box and cornprising a plate entirely covering the openingin the box and provided with a groove to receive said rib, and a deviceat the bottom of the lid for locking the lid to the lower wall of thebox-opening and forming with said rib and groove a continuous sealbetween the lid and the box, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a journal-box provided with an opening in thefront thereof and a shoulder above said opening, of a lid consisting ofa plate entirely covering the opening in the box, a hood on the outerside of the plate forming a chamber between itself and the plate, and aspring fastened to the lid and having its lower end arranged on theinner side of the lid and its upper end extending through an opening inthe plate into the hood-chamber and bearing against said shoulder.

l0. A lid for journal-boxes consisting of a plate for entirely coveringthe opening in the box, a hood on the outer side of the plate forming achamber, and a flat spring fastened to the plate and passing through anopening in the plate and havingits upper end arranged in thehood-chamber on the outer side of the plate and its lower end arrangedon the inner side of the plate.

GEORGE A. VOODMAN.

Vitnesses:

WM. O. BELT, HELEN L. PECK.

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